(a) General construction. (This paragraph does not include the mechanical and electrical trades.) No person shall commence to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any building or structure in the City, or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining a separate permit for each such building or structure from the Director of Building and Zoning. No building permit is required for maintenance work, however, such work shall in no way, be the type of work that could be considered an alteration to the building or structure. Interior or exterior painting does not require a permit. No person shall commence to construct, enlarge, alter, improve or convert a parking lot in the City, or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining a separate permit for each such parking lot from the Director of Building and Zoning. A separate permit need not be obtained for the construction of a parking lot if such parking lot is shown on the plans and included in the permit for the building or structure. A permit is not required for the routine maintenance, such as sealing, striping, patching holes etc. of a parking lot.
(b) No person shall undertake or perform work of any of the licensed contractors as defined under this Building Code or to represent or advertise himself, either publicly or privately, as being ready, willing or able to contract to perform such work or to undertake such work within the corporate limits without having first procured a license duly issued by the City.
Permits may be issued only to the following:
(1) Any person, firm, or corporation holding a valid license as described in Section 1325.02. In the event that the holder of such license is a firm, partnership or corporation, any proprietor or officer of such firm, partnership, or corporation may sign the application for a permit on behalf of the license holder. In such event the name of the person who has qualified for the license shall be named in the permit application.
(2) A home owner, provided that all work thereunder shall be done with the home owner's own hands and is done in a single-family residence which is occupied or is to be occupied by no one except his own family. The name of the person who is to perform the work shall be named in the permit application.
(c) Piping, other than soil or liquid waste piping, heating and ventilation equipment, refrigeration systems, electrical wiring in connection with manufacturing equipment, scientific research equipment and testing equipment are exempt from the license and permit requirements of this chapter. This exemption only includes the piping, heating, refrigeration and electrical work which is an integral part of the equipment.
(d) In cases where an emergency exists, work may be commenced prior to the obtaining of a permit, however, such person shall obtain the necessary permit as soon as the office of the Director of Building and Zoning shall be open for business.
(e) Correct information shall be furnished by the applicant for a permit on blanks furnished by the Director of Building and Zoning, giving the location of the premises by house number where work is to be done, name of owner, and any other information pertaining to the work that may be required.
(Ord. 41-79. Passed 11-5-79.)
(Ord. 41-79. Passed 11-5-79.)
(f) (1) No person shall construct, install, alter, or repair any plumbing, drain, vent, sump, water heater, valve, water line or waste line or construct or install any bathtub, whirlpool bath, or prefabricated shower or bath unit within the City without first obtaining a permit from the Director of Building and Zoning to do such work. The owner or person having charge of any property within the City shall not cause or allow any such work to be done on such premises without a permit having been obtained. The permit or copy thereof shall be at the site at all times during the course of construction.
(2) Permits may be obtained only by a master plumber or by an occupying home owner performing work of plumbing in a single-family dwelling unit.
(3) No master plumber or occupying owner shall allow the use of his name by any person, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining a permit to do any plumbing or drainage work.
(4) This subsection shall not apply nor shall any permit be required for replacing a toilet, commode, bidet, garbage disposal, sink or lavatory, repairing broken fixtures or leaks in faucets, releasing frozen pipes, or rodding and flushing of any house sewer or drain.
(Ord. 96-13. Passed 5-6-96.)
(g) (1) Prior to the commencement of any heating or ventilation installation, an application for heating or ventilation permit shall be made at the Department of Building and Zoning, and a heating or ventilation permit shall be secured from the Director. Any ventilating system exceeding 500 C.F.M. and not a part of the heating system or where the heating system is not regulated under this subsection, shall require a separate permit which must be obtained by a licensed heating or ventilation contractor. When permits are issued work shall proceed. The permit or copy thereof shall be at the site at all times during the course of construction.
(2) This permit shall be required to install or replace any heating unit or fuel-fires section or safety control, or ventilating unit, or to add any air outlets or heating units, including central heating, plant, conversion burner, direct-fired unit heater, space heater, portable heating appliance and floor furnace. Permits will not be required for ventilating systems without ductwork.
(h) A permit shall be required for every installation or alteration of a refrigeration system except:
(1) Unit systems for space cooling up to and including one ton (12,000 BTU) capacity used in one, two, and three-family occupancies.
(2) Unit systems up to and including one nominal ton (12,000 BTU) capacity used in all other occupancies.
(3) Refrigeration systems as a part of manufacturing equipment, scientific research equipment and the testing equipment are exempt from the license and permit requirements of this chapter.
(4) Prior to the commencement of any installation or alteration of a refrigeration system for which a permit is required, an application for a permit shall be made by a licensed refrigeration contractor or by an owner performing work on his own single-family residence to the Department of Building and Zoning. In case of an application for a permit for the installation or alteration of a refrigeration system of more than sixty thousand (60,000) BTU, such application shall be accompanied by such plans, sketches, and specifications as are required to verify compliance with the Building Code. A single-family home owner shall not install Group 1 refrigeration system in excess of sixty thousand (60,000) BTU.
(5) Where a refrigeration system is connected into an existing duct system, the refrigeration contractor may make whatever minor changes are necessary to the duct system to make the system function properly for a cooling system. Changes must meet the requirements of the City Building Code.
(6) Whenever the Director shall find, upon examination of a system, improper installation, operation, or repair, he may turn off the power supply so as to render the equipment inoperative, and attach thereto a tag and seal indicating that such equipment is out of service. The equipment shall not be placed back into service until such time as all corrections have been made to the satisfaction of the Inspector and according to the requirements of the Building Code. Should a refrigeration system be in operation on a perishable products container on such premises, any shutdown order may be delayed for an allowable period of time, as determined by the Director of Building and Zoning.
(Ord. 41-79. Passed 11-5-79; Ord. 92-33. Passed 12-7-92.)
(i) No person shall commence or proceed with the installation, alteration, or repair of any electrical equipment in or about any building, dwelling or structure in the City without first obtaining a permit from the Director of Building and Zoning. Such permit may be obtained either by an occupying homeowner to perform work in his or her single-family dwelling or by a licensed electrician. Before an occupying homeowner is issued a permit, he or she must demonstrate and represent by affidavit that he or she possesses the experience and training to perform such work and assumes all responsibility and liability for the performance of such work. No permit shall be required for such work as repairing flush or surface snap switches, replacing fuses, changing lamp sockets, replacing receptacles, replacing existing fixtures, taping bare wires or joints, or repairing electrical portions of any appliance or electrical equipment.
(Ord. 96-14. Passed 5-6-96.)
(Ord. 96-14. Passed 5-6-96.)
(j) No person shall wreck any building or structure without applying for and obtaining a permit from the Director of Building and Zoning for such purpose. Only a person holding a license for wrecking or demolition may apply for such permit.
(k) No person shall commence or proceed with the installation, replacement or alteration of any sign in the City without first obtaining from the Director of Building and Zoning a permit to do so. Only a licensed sign erector may obtain a sign permit.
(Ord. 49-79. Passed 12-3-79.)
(l) Except as noted, plans and specifications shall be prepared, or their preparation shall be supervised, by a licensed architect or engineer, whose license number, and the licensing authority, shall be indicated. Plans shall be drawn to scale upon a substantial paper or cloth and shall be sufficient clarity to indicate the nature and extent of the work proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of this Building Code and all relevent laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.
(Ord. 41-79. Passed 11-5-79.)
(m) No person shall commence or proceed with the alteration, addition or remodeling of any structure in the City without first obtaining a permit to do so. The Director of Building and Zoning shall determine in all cases if a permit is required.
(Ord. 93-31. Passed 12-6-93.)